Bethesda vs Annandale (wakefield) for schools

[Anonymous]

Next to TJ, Woodson had the most National Merit Semifinalists.

[Anonymous]

It's been awhile since I was house hunting but we were between Annandale (Woodson Pyramid) and Bethesda. I think in hindsight I should have looked harder at Arlington. I think being part of a smaller school district gives you a better chance of impacting things if needed. I also noticed that Arlington has some element of school choice and different programs geared towards different learning styles.

As someone living in Bethesda with kids in private school, I am hesitant to buy into all kids will do well if they go to X school. I have had one kid do great and another not so great at a highly regarded public elementary school. I think the true measure is how the school deals with challenges (kids with learning disorders, kids that are underachieving, bigger class sizes/overcrowding, teacher turnover, new curriculum and inadequate training) and if they keep a customer-centric focus on doing the best for your child and expecting the best for your child and communicating with parents to help support that.

Another thing to consider of course is boundary changes. We did notice the boundaries seemed ripe to shift more so in Annandale than Bethesda. There was one house we looked at that it went to Woodson, across the street was a different high school and around the corner was yet a different one. You want to feel confident that if you paid a premium to go to X high school your kid would actually go there or your kid had a chance of getting the same or better at the newly zoned school. This gets again back to challenges and how the district handles changing boundaries. I'm sure there are examples of schools that made a difficult situation go easier than it could have been as well as examples of districts that burned the bridge with lots of constituents in the name of knowing best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's been awhile since I was house hunting but we were between Annandale (Woodson Pyramid) and Bethesda. I think in hindsight I should have looked harder at Arlington. I think being part of a smaller school district gives you a better chance of impacting things if needed. I also noticed that Arlington has some element of school choice and different programs geared towards different learning styles.

As someone living in Bethesda with kids in private school, I am hesitant to buy into all kids will do well if they go to X school. I have had one kid do great and another not so great at a highly regarded public elementary school. I think the true measure is how the school deals with challenges (kids with learning disorders, kids that are underachieving, bigger class sizes/overcrowding, teacher turnover, new curriculum and inadequate training) and if they keep a customer-centric focus on doing the best for your child and expecting the best for your child and communicating with parents to help support that.

Another thing to consider of course is boundary changes. We did notice the boundaries seemed ripe to shift more so in Annandale than Bethesda. There was one house we looked at that it went to Woodson, across the street was a different high school and around the corner was yet a different one. You want to feel confident that if you paid a premium to go to X high school your kid would actually go there or your kid had a chance of getting the same or better at the newly zoned school. This gets again back to challenges and how the district handles changing boundaries. I'm sure there are examples of schools that made a difficult situation go easier than it could have been as well as examples of districts that burned the bridge with lots of constituents in the name of knowing best.

The redistricting in Annandale has already taken place. In Arlington it is coming up soon and who knows what assignments will change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Next to TJ, Woodson had the most National Merit Semifinalists.

Next to TJ, Oakton HS had the most National Merit Semifinalists.

http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=2343

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has made me interested in Annandale. How would you get to work in DC from there (Farragut, if that helps)? Drive to a metro station? Bus? We are looking to improve our commute and our space, but can't afford the obvious areas.

Probably the express bus to the Pentagon

[Anonymous]

PP here. In regards to the redisticting in Annandale, how was the process? Are people happy with the outcome? My point is with young kids it can happen again before HS so you want to feel comfortable with how the district handles the process.

[Anonymous]

7:11 - I think Oakton's bigger (# of kids) than Woodson, which could explain some of the discrepancy. They're both excellent schools.

re: commute - some of the northernmost neighborhoods feeding into Woodson would be a quick drive to Vienna or Dunn Loring metros. You can usually find parking till about 8:00 a.m. (later on Fridays or late summer), plus there's a private lot at Dunn Loring if you arrive later than that. The drive into DC can be painful after 6:45 a.m., though - used to commute in from 22031, just north of annandale.